Rushing it: what not to do and why not to do it
By Michael T. Beavin
Asphalt Institute Technical Training Coordinator
Binder techs –
you’ve been there. The lab is cranking and you can barely remember what you had for lunch or if you had it at all. You are FED UP with FedEx and UPS. Each delivery brings fresh stress wrapped in a brown box. You get it. BUSY! You’ve gotta move! That binder ain’t aging itself!
In much of the United States, both users and producers are rushing to finish projects before the snow flies so with September and October comes mountains of COA samples.
I was raised by a cabinet maker and at an early age I learned that working in a rush usually leads to all kinds of bad. Sanding disasters, staining dysfunctions and nasty run-ins with power tools. Bad. It’s no different in the lab. If you happen to be Usain Bolt or a peregrine falcon, swift is swell but in the laboratory, from safety to quality, speed kills. Here are some of the not-so-nice outcomes of not obeying the speed limit:
Air jet maladjustment
Knocking that RTFO nozzle out of place will lead to a low DSR G* and you will not be ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing). Check it weekly at a minimum!
Trimming trauma
Rushing that DSR trim, whether it’s under or over-trimmed, will be factored into calculating G* to the fourth power. That’s an exponential mess!
Release agent angst
Get it on that mold! Not so fast. Slopping it on a DTT, softening point or elastic recovery mold changes the dimensions of the specimen. All of the tests that require a release agent are also relying on very precise dimensions. Stay calm and take it easy on the stuff.
Flash cup fail
Nobody likes performing flashpoints, but you’ve gotta do them. After you are finished, just take those few extra moments to get that hot asphalt off of them BEFORE they cool down. That carbon build-up reduces the sample size and makes the fill mark disappear. Yes, sample volume matters.
Paint it black
Even if that quart of hot binder misses your properly PPEed self, you now have a mess that has everybody’s attention.
I could go on but I’ll spare you. You get the idea. Like it or not, work load cannot replace quality.
We’ve calculated that the quickest turn-around for a full M-320 verification is 26 hours. If someone tells you differently, they are probably taking some shortcuts. During those 26 hours, taking a few extra moments to trim, clean, carefully apply or pour properly will save time in the long run by reducing retesting and poor quality results. I’ve said it over and over again that binder technicians are not just button pushers. They are vital in our industry. We rely on rock solid data to build quality roads, roofs and other asphalt-related products. A test requires what it requires.
Don’t rush it.
TECH TIP
Making the cut
We’re getting a separation – from banged up counter tops, binder shrapnel, potential blunt force trauma and all that noise.
“Standard ASTM D7173, Determining the Separation Tendency of Polymer Modified Asphalt” has standardly ticked me off. If you’ve ever pounded a tube of frozen binder into three parts, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s like dropping a BBR beam on the floor immediately after testing. Hundreds of little asphalt shards fly everywhere and then immediately stick to wherever they landed. Each one of those little flying black bits, should it stow away home with you, is a potential binder ninja waiting to strike your washing machine and everything else in it! Ain’t nobody got time for that! Mallets, chisels and frozen binder were never a good match anyway, so we wanted out.
If we can make cars that park themselves and download an app that makes a pizza arrive at your front door, we thought surely there’s a way to divide a tube of frozen binder into three parts without creating a mess the equivalent of a daycare at lunch time. There is!
Plumbers have used these for years for making clean cuts in PVC pipe. They come in a variety of sizes but we found that the separation test ointment tube fits best in the 1.5” size. The cutter pictured above is the simplest, least expensive model but you need a really good grip to cut that frozen binder filled tube. Other models have a ratcheting action that greatly reduces the required grip strength.
Hint: It is not necessary to cut all the way through. Simply score around the tube, roll the tube in a paper towel and snap. A quick wipe with your favorite solvents to clean the blade and, there, harmony is restored.
- Mike Beavin, Asphalt Institute Technical Training Coordinator
Technician Spotlight
George Peterson,
Garco Testing Laboratories, Asphalt Binder Engineer
George has worked in the asphalt industry for 15 years. In his current role he supervises a binder technician and performs mix designs for slurry seals, chip seals and microsurfacing.
He says the NBTC program helped him understand how a technician can cause variation in the tests and ways he can help troubleshoot or give advice when some unexpected results occur.
"It was good to sit in the class with technicians from various companies and to be able to network."
